Another happy dance

Yippee, I’m so happy to announce yet another happy dance - housesitting has been so good for getting some stitching done, it’s wonderful to get back into the swing of things again, even if it’s shortlived.  I’ll be moving back into Brenda and Nigel’s again on 6 Jan for another three weeks, so it’ll be back into the “work-sleep-work” mode again … but after 24 Jan I’ll have a personal life back again during the week, and I can’t wait to make better use of my evening hours rather than spending it all travelling from work.  Even if it takes me 1/2 an hour to drive to and from work, it will still give me back another 2 to 2 1/2 hours private home time, ah heaven!! 

Next week I’ll finalise the removal truck details (which is costing between $1500-$2000 yikes!!!) , and I have to fly down to Melbourne for a few hours to tidy up the last bit of the storage unit into boxes (we just threw some things into it the last time we were there), then let the removalists into the unit.  Then hopefully I can organise for them to arrive Fri 25 Jan, which will give me the whole weekend to unpack things and try to make everything fit.  After that, the sofa bed is available for anyone who wants to pop over to visit

Anyway, back to the important stuff … here is my happy dance for the weekend … although in fact it’s three separate happy dances - firstly, there are two happy dances for the two projects I’ve just finished - as well as getting the Necessities Sampler finished, I also sneaked in a new start/finish which is the Geranium House sampler.

Necessities Sampler by Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 32ct hand-dyed Merino linen by Country Stitch
with recommended threads

Geranium House by Country Cottage Needleworks
Stitched on 32ct Light Mocha linen
with recommended threads

The biggest happy dance, though, is that I have now - FINALLY - finished the 50 Project Challenge!!  Yippee!!!  I have to admit, I didn’t complete the challenge properly in that I did buy a few charts during the year, and I was originally going to stitch a new project for every new chart bought, but to be honest I’m a bit ‘over it’ and want to take the pressure off myself, so I’m not going to bother stitching to make up for the slight splurges.  I really want to start off the New Year with no stitching commitments or pressures, aside from my CA Wells class pieces - after such a crappy year in 2007, I’m looking forward to smooth sailing in 2008.  And after having precious stitching time over the last few months, I really want to enjoy my stitching again by stitching what I want when I want, and buying new charts on a whim whenever I feel like it as well 

One of the first things I’ll be doing in the New Year is fixing up my heap of crap car!  I’m still having problems with it, and now it’s starting unlocking itself during the day - it’s like the damned thing is possessed!!!  (Maybe I should start calling it “Christine”!)  So my first job will be to take it to an auto electrician and have the entire car re-wired, I guess - which means my dashboard light will work again so I can see how fast I’m driving at night … my windows will all actually open again, not just the drivers side window, which is really helpful in this summer heat … my locks will actually stay locked when my back is turned … and the car will stop cutting out on me - then at the end of 2009 I’m hoping I’ll be in a better position to replace that heap of crap with something I actually enjoy driving … Mazda here I come !!!!!!!!

Rightio, enough prattling on … time to do get the housework done before Mark and Leisa return home tonight … then my job this week will be to catch up on a few blogs and outstanding emails, and finally finish the book I started a couple of weeks ago when I was catching the train!! Peace and quiet is shattered out here, as the neighbours are having a party it seems (this is such a noisy neighbourhood, I’m so glad I don’t live here permanently!).

PhotoHunt - Messy (& a snake)

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

Here is a photo of Frankston beach - it’s a bit messy due to strong winds, and general rubbish that people have thrown away … litterbugs annoy me! Gotta feel sorry for that poor seagull too

 

And now to freak my Mum out even further, here’s a photo of our infamous visitor on 23 December - he wanted to come join the party, but we were happy to give him the whole house to himself until the snake catcher appeared on the scene! Nigel took this photo as the snake catcher was disturbing it to get a good grip on him to pick him up. Welcome to the only red-bellied black snake I hope to ever see this close … ever! In fact, add all other venomous snakes into that mix as well !!!  I’ve actually had nightmares during the night a couple of times dreaming of snakes slithering over me while I’m sleeping, which certainly makes a change from spider nightmares - I hadn’t realised it’d freaked me out so much, but obviously my subconscious was freaked out big time!!

A bit of Christmas stitching

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day - here in Sydney I spent a lovely day with Brenda & Nigel, and Brenda’s sisters, nieces and cousin.  As always Nigel did an awesome job with the food, and we all ate like Kings.  The rest of the day was spent, in my case, stitching in front of the TV while we watched Scrooged and the final episodes of the Vicar of Dibley.  I’m glad I went prepared and took a wee LHN design to start - it gave me something to do while everyone else was snoozing at odd times during the afternoon.  And if I’d got all the DMC threads to hand, I would have almost finished it!!  My needles were definitely smoking yesterday (and until 3am when I got back ‘home’ as I still couldn’t put it down).  Here’s my progress so far - I just need to buy some more DMC (3371, 739 and 3011) then I can get it finished.  Unfortunately I took a drive out to the shops today, forgetting that everything is still closed for Boxing Day, so it will be sitting unfinished for a wee while now as I’m back to work tomorrow.

Necessities Sampler by Little House Needleworks

Seeing as I can’t finish my LHN piece, I have no choice but to start one of my CA Wells pieces … which means I have to start concentrating on my stitching again yikes!!

On Christmas Eve I managed to finally put the finishing touches to a couple of ornies that were stitched during the first part of last year.  I really really need to get back into my stitching routine so I can stitch a few more for next year!  Anyway, here are the latest ornies in their finished state (I forgot to take a photo of one, which I gave to Kerrie at the weekend).

And here are two that Mum stitched for me, that I’ve also finally finished into ornies:

I’ll finish this post with photos of my friendly flatmates right now - they’re both so incredibly friendly and cuddly … the photos were taken from their visit onto my bed this morning

At last … a Happy Dance!!

I can’t believe it’s taken me nearly two months just to stitch two whole blocks of Snapperville!  I happened to spy a Spotlight sign on the way home from work today (they let us finish 2 hours early, yippee), so I ducked in and picked up a skein of DMC 434 so I could get Snapperville finished tonight.  And here’s the finished product … sorry it’s a bad photo as it’s getting dark outside and I couldn’t get a decent crisp photo of it.  I’m not bothering to put the little snaps around the border (mainly because I don’t have any) - I have to say I have really REALLY enjoyed stitching this project.  Thanks so much Cathy for your generosity in sending me the charts and fabric, it’s been a real joy to stitch

Snapperville by Bent Creek
Stitched on 32ct natural linen
with recommended threads except for DMC 434 instead of WDW Hazelnut

Next up should be my CA Wells project pieces, but instead I’m going to kit up a smallish LHN design to start stitching tomorrow at Nigel and Brenda’s place for Christmas Day.  I can’t guarantee I’ll have another happy dance this side of 2008, but I’ll at least make a start on a new fun piece, and I still have one more selfish stitching day (Boxing Day) before my housesitting people return home and I’m back at work and no stitching again 

Christmas with a Bite!

My mail has finally started arriving in Sydney, after having a detour into Melbourne first - which means my Quaker Friendship Sampler has arrived home at last. I have to admit, I prefer other choices of colours after stitching on everyone else’s samplers, but I do still love this one … with its bright cheery colour! I’ll have to wait to post a piccie, because I’ve left it at Brenda & Nigel’s. Actually, I might pop over to the SAL blog and see if I can snaffle a piccie that Becky took of the finished sampler (cool, thanks Becky for post that piccie so I can borrow it!!):

Which also brings me to another job that is way, way overdue … believe it or not, I haven’t forgotten that I have promised to give away my original chart, and I made a quick list of all the people who originally put their hands up to go into the draw. Well I can finally advise that Judith is the lucky recipient of this chart, and in the New Year I’ll get it into the post for you (it’s currently packed up, so just as soon as I can get to it, it’ll be on its way to you).

Thanks for your patience everyone who put their hands up to go into the draw!

Which brings me to the next one … after finishing It’s Halloween by The Drawn Thread, I’m putting that chart up for grabs now as well. It has slight creases in the chart, but the chart is totally legible - it is just showing the strain of all that travelling between house sitting jobs in Melbourne!! Anyway, please leave a comment that you’d like to put your name in the draw, I’ll pull another name out of the hat (or via the list generator, anyway), in a couple of weeks time.

Yesterday I spent the entire day in my PJ’s and managed to get loads stitched on Snapperville … and I have to say it was the most amazing comforting feeling to be stitching again.  I have really REALLY missed my stitching, and it helped to bring back a feeling of normality to my day.  Uunfortunately I don’t have any Weeks Dye Works Hazelnut thread, or DMC 434, here with me, so I can’t put the finishing touches to this piece.  Boohoo.  I may have to take it with me on Christmas Day to Brenda and Nigel’s where one of my other kitted up projects is holding DMC 434 so I can get it finished. Right now, though, I just have the door left to be stitched in the final block, along with the final part of the border (a few swirls and one more tree). Fingers crossed this will get finished before the end of 2007!

Today no stitching was done, but instead we had a very social occasion out at Kerry’s place (Brenda’s best friend).  Now, Mum, please do NOT read any more of this paragraph, as you’ll have nightmares for days!!!  Nicely fed on a lovely BBQ, a couple of us were still sitting outside chatting about our previous European travels, while the rest of the group were inside the house … all of a sudden the guy opposite me says “oh my goodness, there’s a snake!” - I turned around in my chair, and sure enough there was a bloody great snake slithering over the porch, and it disappeared straight through the door into the kitchen!  Thankfully no-one inside startled it, and no-one got hurt, but all of a sudden here was a mass exit of bodies coming back outside the doors carrying out all pets.  Next thing Chris (the husband) put his steel-capped boots on and armed with a spade went back inside to keep an eye on it, along with Nigel who was armed with his camera to help keep guard (I’ll put some photos up just as soon as I can get hold of copies).  A phone call was made for help, and eventually (about 3/4 hour later) the snake man arrived to remove the unwanted red-bellied black snake, who was about 5 feet long, and a very decent size in width.  It’s the first snake I’ve seen in the ‘wild’ since moving to Australia, and hopefully the last one!!!  It’s the first one Kerry’s ever seen, either, which makes me feel better that it’s not ‘normal’.  Anyway, it was rather exciting and gave us something to chat about for ages afterwards … not to mention the humour when I nearly peed myself as Nigel dangled a rubber snake in front of my nose shortly after - payback is going to be a bitch for him one day!!

Anyway, after seeing a bit too much of Sydney’s nature, it was time to head back home to chill out and relax … and in case I don’t get chance before the “big day”, I wanted to make a very quick post to say ………

ALL THE BEST TO ALL MY ONLINE FRIENDS, AND YOUR FAMILIES, FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON - MAY YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR, AND I WISH YOU EVERY HAPPINESS FOR 2008.  IT’S BEEN A PLEASURE MEETING YOU ALL, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR RELATIONSHIPS NEXT YEAR.  WITH HUGE HUGS AND LOVE, xxx

Photo Hunt - Light

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t “delay post” these piccies for the Photo Hunt!  They’re pre-loaded right up until February 2008 … so even when I’m not online I’m still posting once a week

This week’s theme is “light” … a bit lame, but the saying “as light as a feather” came to mind, so here is my choice this week - taken on Frankston’s beach

The Countdown is On

Until I can feel ‘normal’ once again!

I’m so exhausted these days I don’t know whether I’m coming or going … although I certainly know which way my stitching is going, and that’s nowhere fast! I don’t have time to sit and blog (I now have over 1500 unread feeds in my newsreader), and my email inbox is full to overflowing, with no chance of catching up any time soon. I owe dozens of people emails, and I haven’t even written any Christmas cards this year – I’m feeling ever so slightly overwhelmed in general.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying life in Sydney on the whole, but I’m finding the commute time is really getting me down. That 3 ½ hours spent commuting each day is leaving no time whatsoever to do anything at home in the evenings – and in the weekends Brenda and Nigel have been filling my days with social functions (not that I’m really complaining, as it’s been wonderful … it’s just that I’ve had absolutely no time whatsoever to spend doing my ‘old’ daily routines like blogging and catching up on the world of my online friends in general).

Anyway, as the title states, there is a light at the end of the tunnel … we have the deposit put down on a little wee apartment closer to work, where I’ll be sharing with another girl who’s moving from Melbourne for 12 months. We pick up the keys on 24 January, and I’m going to be freighting my furniture etc out of storage at that time (as long as I can find the money, which is another issue!!). We’ll be living in Ramsgate Beach, a sum total of about 20 minutes by car to work … I see a bit of stitching happening at the end of January, and I really can’t wait!!!

As as last night, I’m housesitting for a work colleague for two weeks (well, actually it’s now turned out to be only one week, which is a tad awkward, as Brenda and Nigel have family staying for two weeks, which means my bedroom is given over to them for that time … but they’re OK for me to stay here in the spare room for the extra week). Hence the reason I’m finally able to spend a quick 10 minutes writing this quick line. I’m pretty exhausted tonight, so it’s truly a speedy drive-by as normal … I’ll be having an early night, and tomorrow I have the entire day to myself so I intend actually stitching – Snapperville here I come!!! Sunday will be spent at a BBQ with Brenda, Nigel, family and friends, then it’s back to work for one day on Monday before taking Christmas and Boxing Days off work. It feels quite strange being a ‘day worker’ again and having all the public holidays off work … the pay packet is missing it, though my body isn’t

Anyway, time to head off as my eyes are seriously trying to close on me (and it’s only 8pm yikes!!) … time to curl up and have a sleep so I can be fresh for stitching tomorrow. And with any luck this week I can finally catch up on some outstanding thank you emails and other correspondence that is SERIOUSLY overdue!!!

PhotoHunt - Small

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

Here is a photo of lavender at the Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens, Mornington Peninsula - for such a small creature, I love watching the bees flying around the lavender heads, and alighting on each one … it’s fascinating to watch. The photo is clickable, so you should be able to zoom in a bit closer I think.

Oh heck - I made a big boo-boo!!!

Note to self - don’t post your new address on the blog until you’re 100% concentrating and awake!!!  My address is NOT PO Box 1306, but rather PO Box 688!!!  Sorry ’bout that - a seriously major blonde moment!!  Now you know why I don’t blog at the moment - I’m usually too shattered to think about it … and that’s the result!!  Doh!!!

Anyway, just a really quick post again, to post some stitching piccies while I get the chance - I finally managed to put the finishing touches to these FUFO’s a week ago:

That may end up being the only ornie finished by me this year … such is life I guess …

Also, here’s the latest two finished blocks of Snapperville, plus the teensy start on block #5 - you’d never believe it’s taken two weeks to stitch just this part, would you?  Yep, smokin’ needles is definitely a thing of the past for me for the timebeing - the only stitching I’ve been getting is about 2 hours on Sunday night ho-hum

Still here …

Just no time to sit at the computer … commuting is really taking it out of me, and I don’t seem to have any real spare time these days.  So 1000 apologies but I’ve had no time to catch up on emails, or blogs, or anything really … I’ll be back again when I have more to share, and time to share it!

In the meantime, I can say I finally have a PO Box in Sydney now - after a major error from Australia Post (that I don’t have time to go into now) … I’m sorry I don’t have time to post an email to everyone just yet, so I’m posting the new address here in the interim (I’ll do proper change of address notices as soon as I get chance to breathe).  My new mailing address is:

 (same name obviously)
PO Box 688
Mascot, NSW 1460

Now I’m off out for the day shopping with Brenda - I’ve decided last minute to go to our work’s Christmas party tonight, and need to buy a top (all my summer clothes are in storage in Melbourne, so I’m desperately in need of clothing right now!) - and I’m off to Quakers Hill to find kiwi munchies and L&P!!

Will be back soon with an update hopefully … no stitching done yet, though, so not a great deal to show and tell … although I did complete the finishing off of two quilted wallhangings for Christmas - will take a photo as soon as I can.

Hope everyone out in blogland is surviving the last few weeks before Christmas - I may not be online, but you are in my thoughts! {{hugs}}